The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) welcomes the publication of the Resolutions and Recommendations adopted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi, now available through the IUCN Resolutions and Recommendations platform in English, French and Spanish.
Of particular relevance is IUCN Motion 037: Fourth global coral bleaching event: urgent action to reduce the risk of catastrophic loss of the world’s coral reefs. Adopted against the backdrop of the fourth global coral bleaching event, the motion calls for decisive international action to address escalating climate driven pressures on coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Crucially, it urges IUCN Members and partners to invest in long term monitoring and data sharing for regular assessments of coral reef status, explicitly using the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and recommended data platforms.
This recognition is significant for the GCRMN. As the authoritative global network dedicated to long term coral reef monitoring, the GCRMN provides the scientific backbone needed to understand how reefs are changing, where impacts are accelerating, and where resilience and recovery are still possible. Through its regional nodes and partners, the GCRMN synthesises local, national and regionally collected data into comparable regional and global assessments, including the Status of Coral Reefs of the World reports, which are increasingly used by governments, multilateral processes and financing initiatives.
In the context of the fourth global coral bleaching event, robust and comparable monitoring is more important than ever. Marine heatwaves are intensifying in frequency, duration and extent, with profound consequences for coral cover, ecosystem functioning and the millions of people who depend on reefs for food security, coastal protection and livelihoods. The GCRMN holds an important role in tracking these changes over time, distinguishing short term disturbance from long term trends, and translating complex data into evidence that can inform policy, planning and investment decisions at national, regional and global levels.
By explicitly referencing the GCRMN, Motion 037 reinforces the importance of sustained investment in monitoring systems that are science based, regionally grounded and globally coordinated. It also underscores the role of the GCRMN as a bridge between science and policy, supporting IUCN Members, the International Coral Reef Initiative and the wider global community with credible, policy relevant evidence at a moment of unprecedented risk for coral reefs.
The GCRMN looks forward to supporting IUCN Members and partners for the implementation of Motion 037 and to ensure that monitoring, data sharing and assessment remain central pillars of global coral reef resilience efforts.
